The state of Tennessee mandates adverse event, patient abuse and patient safety data reporting.  All licensed health care facilities in the state, including hospitals,1 ambulatory surgical treatment centers,2 and nursing homes,3 must report incidences of abuse and neglect to the department of health within seven days of identifying the event; such reports are confidential and may only be disclosed in disciplinary proceedings or for regulatory purposes.4

        Health facilities with a daily patient volume of 25 or more must submit patient safety data to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) as required; the department of health may access such information and will disseminate public reports containing aggregate patient safety data.5  Patient safety data is confidential; the department may publish reports or studies based on this information that identifies individual health care entities but may not release individual, patient-level information.6

        The department will annually provide relevant health care facility licensing boards with an aggregate report summarizing, by type, the number of unusual events and incidents reported by nursing homes to the department.7

        The state of Tennessee also has robust malpractice reporting requirements.  Medical malpractice insurers are required to report any malpractice claim filed against a provider or entity in the state.8  Further, such insurers must report to the appropriate licensing board any settlement or judgment of $5,000 or more arising out of a malpractice claim against a physician, and must include the name of the patient in the report.9  Each licensing board must report all medical malpractice judgments, awards and settlements for the preceding ten years; such information will be used to create provider profiles available to the public as part of the Health Care Consumer Right to Know Act.10